Wellbores are drilled through subterranean formations to allow hydrocarbons to be produced. In a typical completion, casing is set within the wellbore and retained in place using cement pumped into the annular region between the casing and the wellbore wall. In order to provide fluid communication through the casing and cement for production of hydrocarbons or other fluids, one or more fluid communication passages called perforations may be formed through the casing and cement using a perforating charge in a perforating procedure.
Perforating generally involves disposing a perforating gun at a desired location in a wellbore and firing a perforating gun containing perforating charges to provide the fluid communication through the casing. The fluid communication pathways generally extend through the casing and cement and into the formation. Fluid can then flow through the perforations, cement, and casing into the interior of the wellbore for production to the surface of the wellbore.